


They'll Be Just Fine

by TheAsexualofSpades



Series: Quarantine Drabbles [37]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Arthur Knows About Morgana's Magic (Merlin), Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Manipulation, Episode: s02e12 The Fires of Idirsholas, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Morgana Knows about Merlin's Magic (Merlin), Multi, can be platonic or romantic you decide, literally i don't know if this is pre-ot4 or just hella platonic you decide
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-30
Updated: 2020-04-30
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:21:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,214
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23927536
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheAsexualofSpades/pseuds/TheAsexualofSpades
Summary: Merlin tells Morgana about Morgause's plan and everything changes. Arthur has to deal with the realization that not only is Morgana his sister, she has magic. There's a lot of work to do but first...
Relationships: Gwen & Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Gwen & Merlin & Morgana & Arthur Pendragon, Gwen & Merlin (Merlin), Gwen/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Gwen/Merlin (Merlin), Gwen/Merlin/Morgana/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Gwen/Morgana (Merlin), Merlin & Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Merlin & Morgana (Merlin), Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Merlin/Morgana (Merlin)
Series: Quarantine Drabbles [37]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1677655
Comments: 11
Kudos: 420





	They'll Be Just Fine

**Author's Note:**

> they are soft and i love them
> 
> also talk about things challenge

Fandom: Merlin (BBC)

Prompt: “You need to eat something.”

* * *

Arthur paces around his chambers, hands wringing. They dart to his sword belt, up to his face, through his hair, back down to the dagger on the table.

How. How the _hell_ did this happen?

His father is alive. Merlin is alive. Gwen is alive. _He_ is alive. That’s all that matters.

The door creaks.

He turns around, heart in his throat.

Black hair appears around the edge.

A sob chokes its way out of his throat and he throws himself towards the door, catching the figure in a tight embrace.

“You’re alive,” he murmurs against Morgana’s shoulder, “you’re alive.”

“Arthur—“ Morgana throws her arms around him, burying her cool face in his shoulder— “Arthur it worked.”

Relief buckles Arthur’s knees and he collapses, bringing his sister—his _sister—_ with him, curving protectively around her, clutching her in his lap. Morgana’s strength makes it easy for her to stay tucked against him.

They’re alright.

They’re alright.

“I didn’t know,” Morgana says, her mouth centimeters from Arthur’s ear, “I didn’t know Morgause was going to use me for that.”

Arthur nods. He knows. He knows Morgana wouldn’t consent to something like that. She hated Uther, hated _him,_ even—and he didn’t blame her all that much—but she wasn’t about to start hurting innocent people.

He gets a hand tangled in her long hair and reaches for her head, trying to hold as much of her as possible. He could’ve lost this. He could’ve lost _her,_ before they’d even had a chance to talk properly, before _anything._

The stab of fear that shot through him, seeing Morgana lying lifeless on the floor, the shake that refused to leave his hands. For all their differences, he truly cares for Morgana. The thought of her leaving…

The door creaks again. He looks up, wondering who has the audacity to try and tear this moment from them.

“So she told you,” Merlin chuckles, Gwen shutting the door behind them both.

“She told me.” Arthur loosens his death grip the tiniest bit when Morgana shifts. “Though if it hadn’t worked…”

“The magic would’ve stopped, Arthur,” Morgana says, “the enchantment would’ve ended.”

“But you would have _died._ ”

“But I didn’t.”

“But you _could_ have,” Arthur repeats. Why doesn’t she understand that she could have _died,_ her story would have been over, she—

Gwen kneels down beside the siblings, reaching out with trembling hands. The fear looks wrong on her face.

“We could have lost you, Morgana.” Gwen’s voice shakes. “You—we—I—“

Morgana disentangles herself from Arthur and throws herself at her servant, almost knocking Gwen over. More sobs echo in the chamber, still quiet as the spell has yet to finish dissipating completely.

“Please,” Gwen whispers from somewhere beneath the depths of Morgana’s hair, “don’t leave me alone.”

“I won’t,” Morgana swears, “I won’t.”

Arthur has yet to get up, not that he particularly wants to. The immensity of what just happened has yet to wash over him.

Morgana is his sister.

Morgana has magic.

Arthur watches Gwen rest her forehead against Morgana’s, the two exchanging words he cannot hear. He sees Morgana’s hand tremble as it absentmindedly traces the stitching on Gwen’s dress. He sees the way Gwen’s hands grip Morgana’s back, not willing to let her go.

He glances up at Merlin, who hasn’t moved away from the door and holds his hand out. Merlin takes it, coming to hover over Arthur’s shoulder, watching the two women.

“You knew,” he murmurs, not taking his eyes off his sister, “you knew she had magic.”

“Yes.”

“Did Gaius?”

“Yes.”

“Was…” He trails off, wanting to see Merlin’s face when he answers. “Was the poison your idea?”

Merlin looks resolutely back at him. “Yes.”

“Don’t you go blaming Merlin.”

Morgana’s voice draws their attention. She sits back, reaching out to pull all four of them closer.

“He’s the one who explained what was happening,” she continues, unable to stop the hand the flies up to trace her throat, “what with me being the…the vessel.”

“The only way to end the enchantment,” Merlin says, “was to destroy the vessel.”

At the mention of Morgana’s all too possible death, Arthur wraps his hand around hers. She could still die. He knows. She’s a sorceress in Camelot. Better yet, she’s Uther Pendragon’s _ward._

“I don’t care,” he starts, “that you have magic. I don’t care.”

In the silence after his declaration, he reaches out to cup Morgana’s face, desperate to hold on to the fact that she’s here.

“You’re still my sister,” he manages around the lump in his throat, “and I still love you.”

“Oh, Arthur,” Morgana says despite the tears in her eyes, “you’re not going all sappy on us, are you?”

“And what if I am?”

“Well, then you’re not going to do it alone.”

They laugh through their tears as they wrap their arms back around each other, drawing Gwen and Merlin into the embrace. Arthur has no idea whose arm he’s got wrapped around him nor whose knee is jabbing precariously into his ribs but that’s alright. The point is they’re all together and no one is going to tear them apart.

He has no idea how long they stay on the floor, only when Morgana’s face—that’s who’s in the crook of his neck—flushes a deathly pale and she gulps.

“You need to eat something,” Merlin says, slowly disengaging from their cuddle pile, “it’s no good for you to try and beat hemlock on an empty stomach.”

“You come straight back,” Morgana orders, the stern nature of her words undone by the shake in her voice, “you understand?”

Merlin cracks a smile. “Wouldn’t dream of leaving, my lady.”

Morgana nods sharply. Merlin shuts the door with nary a sound.

“We have work to do,” Morgana mutters when he’s gone, “we have to change the laws.”

“There’s a good basis for it,” Arthur agrees, “especially given the _extent_ my—our father has lied about.”

“He’s a filthy hypocrite.”

“He’s worse than that.”

“As entertaining as watching you two rage over this is,” Gwen interrupts, mildly amused, “you’re not going to do _anything_ for the rest of the day.”

She raises an eyebrow as Morgana and Arthur start to protest. “No buts. Morgana’s recovering from being poisoned, Arthur is recovering from the spell, both of you have just experienced major revelations. You’re in no fit state to do anything other than rest.”

Morgana frowns, then giggles.

“You sound like a queen.”

Arthur laughs when Gwen blushes. “She’s right.”

“Well, someone has to have the common sense in this group.”

Morgana strokes Gwen’s cheek. “I can think of no better person.”

Merlin returns with a tray laden with food.

“I don’t much feel like getting up,” Morgana sighs, reaching for one of the rolls, “so let’s not.”

“Here here,” Arthur agrees, snagging a sausage, “you too, Merlin. Get down here and eat.”

Merlin settles himself back between Arthur and the door, helping himself to a pear. _This,_ Arthur thinks, _is a perfectly good way to start over._

Talking with his friends, his family, on the floor of his chambers, no decorum necessary. This is the future of Camelot, split between the four pairs of hands.

They’ll be just fine.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Come yell at me on tumblr while we're all in quarantine. 
> 
> https://a-small-batch-of-dragons.tumblr.com/


End file.
